Burnt aubergine and mograbieh soup

This recipe is a bit labour-intensive but it a delivers a rib-sticking soup with a smoky, earthy, sweet and sour flavour that is really unusual. I liked it a lot, but the immediate hit of charred eggplant flavour might not be to everyone's taste.

I couldn't find anything called mograbieh (a type of giant couscous) in my local middle-eastern shops. However, I did found some nameless pasta that was shaped a bit like little balls, which is probably what was intended.

I found the soup to be too thick, so I thinned it with extra chicken stock before serving.